Four

"And you're absolutely sure that this 0-8-4 is similar to her?" Coulson asked as he slowly pulled into the hospital complex.

"Seems to be giving off the same energy readings as Danvers, possibly even stronger. Until we know for sure if they're connected, it's best I send someone I trust to keep an eye on her."

Coulson let out a heavy sigh when Fury left it at that. It had been a long back-and-forth conversation between them. When Captain Marvel appeared on the scene a few years ago, everyone was in a frenzy to find out who she was and if she posed a threat to Earth. Coulson had been skeptical of the woman from day one. But when Fury explained to him what happened during their time apart and when he was with Carol Danvers, he quickly understood the man's intentions.

He'd received a phone call less than an hour ago regarding the anomaly in question. 0-8-4's were a small fraction of what he handled on a daily basis. He wasn't a stranger when it came to dealing with surprises. He supposed that was why Fury had chosen him to keep an eye on the anomaly while it was recovering from whatever ordeal it had suffered from. He'd already made a quick call to his close friend Doctor McCoy, knowing full-well it would be better to have an outsider from the agency look at the case's injuries. While the agency had rarely approved of the doctor's outside methods, there was no denying his skills as a physician. That added with the fact that Doctor McCoy was also the reason he and a few other agents were still alive helped matters.

"You know my son's been chompin' at the bits tryin' to figure out where I'm goin' since I got your call," the doctor grumbled when Coulson met up with him. Coulson merely rose an eyebrow in amusement at the mention of his son. He knew how fond Doctor McCoy was of kids. Whether or not he admitted it out loud, that was part of the reason he'd called him in. The 0-8-4 from what he gathered was young, though he hadn't been given an exact age or number. Coulson suspected there was more to the case than the agency was letting on, which was yet another reason he hoped Doctor McCoy would take a look at her. "What do you know of this case?"

"I've only been told a few things myself from Fury," he admitted while leading the way inside. "About the only thing I know is that the case in question is female, and she's tried escaping at least three times since she was brought in. They've had to sedate her at least twice, and to top things off, she gives off her own energy readings."

Doctor McCoy's brows furrowed together at the mention of sedation. It was a harsher method that Coulson preferred avoiding. As far as he was concerned though, the 0-8-4 was simply too dangerous to be allowed outside her suite. If what he heard was true, then she'd already hurt more than a couple of agents who tried restraining her. Though he had a feeling that was mostly out of self-defense on her part.

The silence that filled the hallway only punctuated his earlier statement. Coulson barely paused in his stride when he spotted another agent guarding the entrance to her suite. He'd known that guards were posted throughout the base for extra security detail. If the asset tried escaping again, it could prove disastrous in the near-future. The last thing he wanted or needed was for things to get out of hand, especially with a civilian on the base.

"Civilians are not allowed within the same distance as the 0-8-4," the agent recited after spotting Doctor McCoy.

Coulson nearly rolled his eyes as he shared a knowing look with the doctor. He'd heard this song and dance enough times to know how to handle the situation. There were more than a few agents who questioned having an outsider near someone so dangerous. While a part of him understood their worry, Doctor McCoy was well aware of what he was getting himself into. He was the one who'd signed the contract after all, allowing him access to some of the more difficult cases that other doctors couldn't handle.

"If I had a dollar for every time someone tried pullin' that stunt on me," McCoy muttered under his breath.

"Doctor McCoy is here on my watch, agent Stile," he reassured the agent after hiding a knowing smirk. "If anyone has anything to say about it, they can take it to me directly."

He was after all a senior agent. He knew Fury was likely to get a promotion soon since the late director of the agency was retiring in a few months. With Alexander Pierce in charge of the agency, they were close friends and he was more likely to promote Fury than the current director. Coulson took full-advantage of that, knowing full-well that he'd worked under Fury as a miner agent at the time.

To his relief, Stile didn't give him much of a fuss as he typed in the pass code. With McCoy trailing behind, Coulson quickly opened the door and stared at the scene before him in disbelief.

Sitting on a biobed with IV-bags strapped around her was a girl who didn't look much older than McCoy's son. He felt McCoy stiffen beside him when the doctor saw the girl for the first time. Nothing could have prepared either of them for the sight looming before them. She looked awful, covered in burn scars from the sun, and possibly burn marks from whatever ordeal she suffered from, and malnourished. The nurses standing around her looked equally disturbed, if not passive out of fear they might become emotionally involved.

"My God…" McCoy drew out a sharp breath after realizing the girl was just a kid. "How long has she been like this?"

"At least a week," one of the nurses replied when they realized they had visitors. Coulson's jaw clenched with renewed fury when he understood the gravity of the situation. "She hasn't responded well to our treatment; we've tried everything but she refuses to cooperate."

For a moment, neither men knew how to respond to that information. Coulson had heard enough stories to know that the girl was more than just another patient. After suffering the kind of trauma she went through, it was a wonder she responded at all. He had a feeling he was going to have his hands full if Fury wanted more information on her.

"I'll have a look at her," McCoy finally snapped. The nurse looked as though she was ready to argue when McCoy cut her off with a steely-eyed look. After seeing the state the girl was in, it only hit home. He was immediately reminded of his son and what could have happened had they not been there for him. "I've got about half a mind to report you for miss-practice. It's clear you don't know what you're doin'."

All three nurses standing in the room looked at one another with uncertainty. They were trained to comply with other agents and those higher up, but they had never been trained on how to handle a civilian. Coulson almost smirked at the sight when they finally backed down. Without the evidence necessary to defend themselves, it was pointless to keep fighting.

"Now I know why Fury didn't give me an age," Coulson let out a heavy sigh as he glanced back at the girl. They knew nothing about her other than her age and that she was found somewhere in the dessert. It was only thanks to passing civilians that she had been found in the first place. There was no telling what she had been through prior to being brought to this facility. "I'm guessing you already have a plan in mind?"

"They've been treatin' her for the burn marks, but as far as I can tell that's about it. Lord knows what hidden problems she might have if they haven't scanned for 'em," McCoy replied before shaking his head. "I've got this. I'm not gonna let anythin' happen to her."

Coulson held back a sigh of relief. He knew McCoy meant well enough. He just hoped that they were doing the right thing by taking her case.

.

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When she first woke up she knew she was no longer aboard the Kelvin. The flames and the explosion had become nothing more than a distant memory. She was also aware of her surroundings. Thick white walls surrounded her from every angle. The room itself was usually filled with nurses and doctors trying to poke and jab at her with hyposprays and serums. She'd begun to hate those people. She became increasingly aware that she was no longer in the dessert, and at some point during her wandering someone finally found her.

She'd tried escaping from that room several times. Each attempt was usually a failure, but there had been one point where she almost reached what appeared to be the exit. One of the men guarding the facility had captured her with ease, grabbing hold of her arm before she could reach the door. He'd wrenched her from the floor, snapping her shoulder in the process. When she barely felt the pain, the man smirked in amusement and dragged her back to the room, chaining her to the bed in handcuffs.

Emily wasn't sure how much time had passed since then. The few times she had woken up there were less nurses and doctors in the room. She knew she was strapped to the biobed with what appeared to be a heart-rate monitor attached to her. The biobed itself was likely scanning her energy readings, and if her guess was right, it was off the charts. She'd heard some of the nurses and one of the guards talking about it when they thought she wasn't listening. What alarmed her was that they seemed more interested in that than her vital health. She was out like a light long before she was able to figure out what they really wanted with her.

By the sixth time she woke up, she found herself surrounded by the same three nurses again. Only this time the nurses weren't alone. Emily noticed with a start that an older man dressed in medical smock stood before her. She shied away from him out of sheer instinct. Yet when the man looked down at her, she saw something flickering past those hazel eyes. None of the other nurses or doctors or any of the men she'd seen at the facility held such emotions. She couldn't describe the name for said emotion, but as the man took notice of her, he shooed the nurses out of the room. She knew in that moment that the man was different from the other doctors she'd seen.

"This is the first time I've seen you awake," he admitted in a gruff, yet gentle voice. She didn't respond. She wasn't sure how to when she caught the worry creasing his forehead. "I know this is probably all strange and terrifying for you, but I'm here to help. Do you have a name I can call you by?"

Again, she remained silent. She'd quickly learned that talking would only get her in trouble. The Kelvin had taught her that. She'd lost everything from that ship, including the two people that actually seemed to care about her. The man's brows furrowed together with concern when he realized she wouldn't respond.

"My name's Doctor McCoy," the man introduced himself after guessing she wouldn't talk. At least not at first. Emily merely eyed him with a blank stare. To show emotion was a weakness. She knew better than to allow herself that luxury. "You know, I have a son about your age back home. I guess that's why I was called in to help."

She blinked at the mention of him having a son. All at once, memories of her time aboard the Kelvin suddenly came rushing back. She remembered Winona Kirk mentioning that they had a son who was around her age. She and her husband had talked about taking her with them to meet him. Emily knew from experience that meant they'd planned on adopting her, or at least giving her a second chance.

It was only until thinking of the Kelvin incident that tears threatened to overwhelm her. She wasn't sure if Doctor McCoy had noticed, but the way he stiffened in surprise told her he had.

"I'm sorry."

The words flew out of her mouth faster than she thought possible. She broke down seconds later, causing the power around them to fluctuate in the process. Soon the feeling of a hypospray being jabbed into her neck followed, along with the empty haze of passing out from sheer exhaustion.

.

.

Coulson's jaw clenched as he watched the scene unfold before him. It took hours for Doctor McCoy to eventually break through whatever material the nurses and doctors had been using on the girl. When he finally did, it was clear that the girl had undergone trauma. He'd known going into this that was likely the case. The first time she woke up, she'd frozen upon seeing Doctor McCoy hovering above her. When he tried introducing himself to her, the girl hadn't responded. The blank stare that followed was what really sent a chill through him. She was far too young to have known what suffering was. Yet it was clear she had suffered, and Coulson was only just beginning to grasp how deep that suffering went. By the end of his session, the girl had finally broken down and began crying. The only words that left her mouth that day was 'I'm sorry', and that shook him down to the core.

"I'm not gonna lie when I say this is worse than I imagined," Doctor McCoy let out a heavy sigh as he sank into a nearby chair beside him. Coulson had been watching everything through a one-way glass in the room on the other side. The agency had always designed rooms like that for those who were running interrogations. He'd gotten used to utilizing the facility in whatever way possible, and this was no different. "She had a broken shoulder and what looked like bruise marks all along her spine. God knows what these assholes were doin' to her before we got here."

His blood ran cold as realization dawned on him. After hearing reports of how she broke out of her room and tried escaping, he should have known she would shut down on them. He'd heard enough rumors of how some agents were more violent towards kids than others. And all at once, he was reminded of how Fury had asked him to handle the case in question. He was suddenly grateful the senior agent had asked him to take it on; he wasn't sure what would have become of the girl had he not intervened.

"Pierce is going to hear about this," he said crossly. "No one – child or not – should have to go through that kind of treatment." Doctor McCoy agreed with him fullheartedly, having already had enough with the people responsible for the mess that girl was in. "I've finally received the news about the USS Kelvin. Said the ship went up in flames with Captain Kirk at the helm. One of the victims was young."

"Let me guess, they wouldn't disclose the age?" Doctor McCoy rolled his eyes at the audacity of the situation.

"I've tried looking further into it, but it doesn't look as though they've released ages or names of the victims, aside from Captain Kirk and the previous Captain," Coulson explained.

"So it was a cover-up." Doctor McCoy scowled as realization struck him.

Years of working undercover had taught Coulson that not everything was rainbows and sunshine with the Federation. Everything about Starfleet seemed like the ideal situation. Yet the moment something like the Kelvin incident went horribly wrong, they covered it up. They hailed Captain Kirk as a hero for saving dozens of lives. But in the midst of it all, they never once mentioned the victims of the tragedy.

"I'm gonna have a word with the boss," he let out a sigh and rubbed the temple of his forehead. "Something just isn't adding up. Once we get a hold of her name we can find out who her parents are and move from there."

Though that didn't stop the knot of worry from forming in the pit of his stomach. He knew in the back of his mind that if her parents had been looking for her, they would have made the news. If they presumed the girl was dead, then it was likely they'd given up on her already. And that was something that left his gut wrenching with pity.

Once that was established, Doctor McCoy resumed the painful task of treating her injuries while Coulson did his own research. Within that time-frame, Fury had been promoted to Director of the agency. That gave Coulson all the clearance he needed to work with the girl in question. Fury had been less-than-happy when he received the news of what happened with the Kelvin. He was also less-than-reassured knowing how little information they had on the girl. It had been nearly three weeks since Coulson arrived at the base and Doctor McCoy managed to bring her back from the brink of death. The doctor had since-then left to return to his family, but not without Coulson reassuring him he would keep him updated on her progress.

Coulson shook his head as he finally returned to the room later in the week. The nurses working around the clock were finally given clear insight as to how they should go about treating her injuries. Doctor McCoy made less progress on finding out her name in that time. It was a wonder she'd said anything at all during the few times she was awake. The only thing Coulson did notice was that she seemed to freeze less whenever she realized someone familiar was in the room. Though that in itself was a worrying sign. Coulson stopped by as often as he could, providing her with another sense of familiarity. He hoped that by doing so, she would learn that he was to be trusted.

The girl was awake this time around. Coulson offered a warm smile as he arrived seconds later with a familiar object in hand. It was rare for her to be fed solid food since she was attached to feeding tubes. The nurses had been worried about how she would react to solid food since it had been a good three weeks after she was brought in. Though that didn't stop him from intervening. The girl watched him warily as he stood not far from her biobed, smiling as her eyes stared blankly ahead.

"I thought you could use a snack," he cut through the awkward silence. The nurses were quick to leave after realizing what was happening. One look was all it took for them to part ways, though not without taking quick notes on their data PADDs. Once they were gone, Coulson took a seat across from the girl and eyed her calmly. "I know it's probably been a while since you've had something solid, so I figured I'd go with something light. It's chocolate."

She merely stared at him as he handed the piece of candy over. The blank look written across her face told him she'd never dealt with anything quite like it. Coulson held back a sigh of frustration as he realized she'd likely never been around something like candy before. So he unwrapped the bar carefully and took a small piece off before eating it. It took a few seconds for her to register that the candy was actually food. Eventually she accepted the gift, and the moment she took a tentative bite out of it was when her eyes seemed to finally light up.

He couldn't hide the guilty smile that followed at that. It was the first time he'd ever seen any emotion flicker across those eyes. Any other time she'd simply stare ahead blankly. He was almost afraid that the trauma she'd gone through was too deep, but maybe, just maybe there was a way for him to break through that barrier. He suspected it would take more than a few weeks of coaxing for her to open up to him fully, and even then there was a chance she wouldn't trust him openly. But at least this was a start.

"Once you're out of this place you can have as much chocolate as you want," he reassured her. The girl's eyes flickered in his direction, and Coulson offered her a reassuring smile. "I know you're probably confused and afraid of being here, but we really are trying to help you."

The silence that followed left his stomach churning with renewed worry. Her brows furrowed together with concentration. Coulson held back another sigh and rubbed the temple of his forehead, knowing it would take more than a few visits to coax something out of her. But the moment he was ready to leave was when she finally spoke for the first time in days.

"Emily." It took Coulson a few seconds to register what she was saying. "My name is Emily Hayes."

For a moment, Coulson didn't know how to respond as realization dawned on him. The girl known as Emily Hayes simply looked on ahead with that same blank expression once her name was offered. The moment she supplied her name was when the light in her eyes seemed to fade once more. Coulson frowned when he realized why that was the case.

"Well, Emily, we're going to work on finding your family," he reassured her once more.

He was unnerved with the way she expressed little to no emotion when he mentioned finding her family. Yet he paid it no heed, knowing that they needed to find out where her parents had disappeared to. If they were even still alive. The name 'Hayes' rang in the back of his mind, telling him exactly who he should be looking for.

.

.

"Well, this is a cluster fuck of a mess," Fury let out a sigh of frustration as he ran through the numbers and figures.

It only took hours for him to find out the location of the Hayes' family. Coulson knew from experience that the family of said victim would likely deny knowing them. He had been worried about what would happen once that was said and done. Emily was showing clear signs of trauma since she'd been brought to the facility. While she was slowly but surely beginning to trust him, he had a feeling that wouldn't last long. Not to mention there was no telling whether or not she would revert to that behavior once she was brought back to civilian life. It was enough to make him wonder if she would ever have a normal life after all was said and done.

"I take it that means you found her family?" he guessed after letting silence fall between them.

"Oh we found them alright," Fury rolled his single eye in annoyance. "Turns out they've already come up with a story claiming she went with the ship. We've been trying to contact any outside family that might take her in, but it seems no one is interested."

Coulson's heart sank when he realized what that meant. Of course her family hadn't wanted anything to do with her. It explained her earlier reaction the other day. He had a feeling that she'd already known what her parents would do before they began looking for them. And that left his gut wrenching with renewed pity. The fact that she had known bothered him more than he would ever admit out loud.

"We thought she'd be older, like Danvers," he said quietly.

"We did," Fury nodded in agreement. His one eye trailed to a crop of folders that were being kept on the makeshift desk he made for himself. "Would've been easier if she had been older for placement, but as of now it might be best to put her in a foster home."

He couldn't help but cringe at the thought of sending her to a foster home. He had a feeling that was exactly what the agency wanted. From there they could closely monitor her progress, if she made any with the people who took her in. Then to top things off the people they chose would be carefully selected as per request. It meant the agency would constantly keep an eye on her. While the alternative meant he would always be kept busy, it also meant keeping the agency from getting a hold of her.

"No," he finally snapped. The moment that word escaped his mouth was when Fury's eye shot up at him, and Coulson's jaw clenched with renewed determination. "Sending her to a foster home would only break her more than she's already been broken. She's lost everything because of the Kelvin tragedy. She deserves a second chance at life."

The silence that followed was unnerving. Coulson knew Fury was contemplating the possibilities of him adopting her. The thought had occurred to him on more than one occasion. After seeing the progress he began making with her, he knew letting her go was the worst possible choice that could be made.

"You realize that if you take her under your wing, she's your responsibility?" Fury reminded him with a pointed look.

He would have smirked if it wasn't for the situation they were in. Fury was giving him the chance to prove himself. He was far from fatherly material, but after seeing what that girl had been through, a small part of him wanted to be.

"I'm counting on it, sir," he replied without hesitation.